Please come to a meeting to plan a conference on mining issues, focusing on coal seam gas, for next year at the university. I envisage the conference as examining in a holistic fashion the environmental, social and economic effects of coal seam gas, although discussions of other mining industries such as coal and uranium may also be appropriate.
The conference would occur at UNE over at least two days – possibly 7-8 April. It would feature some keynote addresses and academic papers as well as workshops and discussion groups, so that a broad range of citizens could be involved. Environmentalists, social and other scientists, economists, industry representatives, politicians, councillors and the general public would be invited.
Ultimately, however, I hope that decisions about the direction and organisation of the conference will be made in a participatory-democratic fashion by those interested in the issue. The world is changed by those who turn up.
The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 4 December at 12 noon in Room 122 of the Arts Building at UNE. Please indicate if you can’t make the meeting and would like me to schedule another for that evening or thereabouts.
By: Dr Marty Branagan
Dear Dr Branagan, I’m one of the new Councillors on Armidale Dumaresq Council. I diarised this event but in the end couldn’t get there due to pressing other matters. I wonder if you would be interested in having NSW Liberal Member Rob Stokes , Parliamentary Secretary for renewables attend and speak at your conference. He has promised me, and I promised the Armidale -Dumaresq Community, (during my election campaign) that I would get him up here to speak on the O’Farrell Govt’s position on renewables. I think the April 2013 time frame would be do-able for him. To me it would be much better for him to attend as part of a larger event as the two way dialogue would be much more interesting than having him come up here as a stand alone event.
I’d be grateful to hear from you ASAP if you are interested as I’ll need maximum time to get him booked.
Sincerely
Cr Margaret O’Connor